Podcasting is a Bitch!

So as you know by now, at Kick Ass Oregon History, we like to bring you THE STRAIGHT SHIT. We like to get to the bottom of the case. AND we like to bring you some interviews with folks knowledgeable in the field, who might be able to bring our Dear Ass Kickers some real insight into real problems. Folks that might be able to take a historical event, and give us some relevance to what is happening today. Learning from history, and that kind of shit.

A few examples come to mind. When we did our Civil Defense in Portland series of podcasts (Number 1 and Number 2), none other than our own Kick Ass Mayor Sam Adams sat down before our microphone and let us know what sort of challenges a Mayor of Today might encounter when attempting to tackle Operation Green Light. In our DB Cooper podcasts (Number 1 and Number 2), Ayn Sandalo Dietrich of the Federal Bureau of Investigation found time to sit down and talk with us about the case. We are quite thankful and appreciative for both of those public servants’ time.

In researching for our very recent podcast Famous Oregon JailBreaks, I became intrigued with Governor Tom McCall’s involvement with the welfare of Oregon’s prisoners. In addition, I was able to discover quite a bit about the sad tale of his lack-of-involvement in the 1968 riot at The Oregon State Penitentiary. I wanted to contact current OSP Superintendent (Warden) Jeff Premo about this historic prison riot, and ask him how it played out, and the lessons learned.

After several terse emails from his (unnamed) assistant, I finally received this reply today:

Mr. Kenck-Crispin…

Your request [for an interview] has been reviewed by Superintendent Premo and is respectfully denied.Under the Department of Corrections’ rules governing media access, OAR 291-204-0010 to 291-201-0080, the Department has discretionary authority to approve or deny any/all media requests for access to its inmates and institutions. Review of your request finds that the story does not meet with the Department of Corrections mission or goals or the safe, secure and orderly management and operation of the facility.

So there you go, Dear Ass Kicker. Denied by our own State Servants from hearing the truth about a historic event. Apparently Superintendent Premo thought I might disrespect him (as I, of course, never did to Mayor Adams or Special Agent Sandalo-Dietrich), or possibly he might inadvertently reveal some super secret Prison Riot Techniques that might be exposed in discussing an event from 43 years ago or some other such bullshit. Whatever the case, Kick Ass Oregon History podcasts don’t seem to match up with the “Department of Corrections mission.”

Such is the life of a podcaster.

The Prison Riot podcast WILL be produced. YOU have just been cheated of an opportunity to hear the side of the story that the Oregon State Penitentiary should have presented on a VERY important historical event. Your loss. Their loss. And we all gain… nothing…